December 2022 Resource Roundup

Our monthly Shoulder to Shoulder Community & Congregational Network Call is an opportunity to convene and connect with interfaith and community organizations and leaders throughout the country who are, in some capacity, addressing anti-Muslim discrimination in the U.S. In our meetings, members share resources, problem solve, and reflect on this important work. Our network includes volunteer-run organizations and organizations with 10+ staff members. There are organizations in rural, urban, and suburban communities in red, blue, and purple states. Each of them recognizes anti-Muslim discrimination as a threat to our communities and country. Each of them is committed to addressing this issue in their community alongside their Muslim neighbors, friends, and siblings.

The notes below are a selection of public resources and events shared by network members and our various partners and friends. If you’re interested in learning more about our Shoulder to Shoulder Community Network, contact us and/or check out our website.

Resources & Upcoming Opportunities

Shared from various partners and friends:

Events

• Bystander Intervention with Right To Be — formerly Hollaback You’ll learn what to look for and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities. We’ll talk through five strategies for intervention: distract, delegate, document, delay, and direct; and how to prioritize your own safety while intervening.
• Stop Antisemitic Harassment December 14, 7 pm, in collaboration with T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, created a free training to discuss forms of antisemitism that the Jewish community faces right now, from microaggressions to violence and give people ways to take safe, effective action. Standing in solidarity is ultimately greater than any hatred, violence, or harassment! Register Here
• Stop Islamophobic And Xenophobic Harassment on December 15 at 1 pm ET This one-hour, interactive training will teach you Right To Be’s 5Ds of bystander intervention methodology. We’ll start by talking about the types of disrespect that Muslims and those who are perceived to be Muslim are facing right now — from microaggressions to violence — using a tool we call the “spectrum of disrespect.” We’ll have time at the end for practice, and you’ll leave feeling more confident intervening the next time you see Islamophobic and Xenophobic harassment online or in person. Register here for December 15 Training
• Shine a Light: Take Action Against Antisemitism Take a stand against antisemitism on social media platforms. Download their toolkit and help them to shine a light on antisemitism during Chanukah (Dec. 19–26, 2022) by sharing their image on your social media feed. Stand in solidarity with the Jewish community.
• Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies: The Crusades: Are we Prisoners of our Interreligious History? The imagery and vocabulary of the Crusades inhabit our interreligious imaginations and structure our conceptions of violence, including in video games like Assassin’s Creed, in pop literature like The Da Vinci Code, and in President Bush’s invocation of a crusade against terrorism in the wake on 9/11. In this course, ICJS scholars Benjamin Sax and Matthew D. Taylor and visiting Muslim scholar Halla Attallah will excavate the origins of these narratives from the perspectives of their respective faith traditions and also call into question whether they are applicable to our interreligious encounters in the present. Tuesdays for four weeks. Jan. 17, 24, 31, and Feb. 7 Online: 7:00–8:30 PM EST https://icjs.org/events/the-crusades-are-we-prisoners-of-our-interreligious-history/
• Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies: Recognizing and Responding to Everyday Antisemitism and Islamophobia. What do Antisemitism and Islamophobia look like in everyday life? Can we recognize them? How do we respond when we see them? Join scholars Benjamin Sax and Matthew Taylor — and visiting scholar Halla Attallah — for this 90-minute online event as we examine instances of religious bias and bigotry in our everyday lives that are sometimes subtle and go unnoticed or unconfronted. This session will include case studies with small group discussion and role-play that will help participants recognize and respond to these microaggressions. Thursday, Feb. 16 Online: 7–8:30 PM EST. Registration is coming soon.
• June 22–23, 2022. Aspen Institute is gathering leaders creating an inclusive America in Washington, D.C. for the first-ever Powering Pluralism Summit. Register today and join us in discussing and discovering the future of pluralism in America. https://bit.ly/3hxXsea

Jobs/Fellowships:

• BJC: For Religious Liberty is hiring for a Chief of Staff. We are looking for a talented and motivated professional with experience in organizational systems and people operations and a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and religious freedom for all. Please review our job posting and share with anyone you think might be interested.
• Apply now for the 2023 class of BJC Fellows! This program provides young professionals the opportunity to deepen their historical, theological and legal understanding of religious liberty and develop skills to advocate for the cause. http://BJConline.org/Fellows Our Communications and Community Engagement Manager, Cassandra Lawrence, is a 2022 BJC Fellow and is happy to talk with anyone who has questions about the program.
• SALDEF We are excited to announce that the SikhLEAD Internship applications for Summer 2023 are now open! Immerse yourself in the world of advocacy, and gain the valuable tools you need to navigate your professional career. For more info and to apply, visit http://saldef.org/sikhlead
• Islamic Scholarship Fund 2023 Congressional Policy Summer Internship, Congressional Fellowship, and scholarship fund are now open! An informational session on Jan 5th http://www.islamicscholarshipfund.org/internship
• If you’re passionate about interfaith work and have experience in executive administration, consider applying for the role of Executive Assistant at #InterfaithAmerica. Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/3Xj7lN5
• Christians Against Christian Nationalism North Texas Organizer. https://bjconline.org/job-opening-christians-against-christian-nationalism-north-texas-organizer/
• Director/Senior Director of Development and Operations: Sikh Coalition. This is a senior role in charge of two full-time staff members and will report directly to the Executive Director. The position will be in charge of all matters related to organizational fundraising, development, staff, and finances.
• Operations Manager: Sikh Coalition. This role would be responsible for the organization’s finances, providing overall operations support, managing Human Resources, as well as provide support as needed to special projects and events.

Resources:

Toolkits

• “A Fuller understanding: Living out the ELCA’s interreligious commitments” We inhabit a religiously diversified world, with a variety of faith threads woven into the spiritual fabric. Since its founding, the ELCA has made strides in continuing the work of our predecessor bodies and the Lutheran World Federation to strengthen our relationship with other faiths. How is that commitment reflected in your life, congregation, and synod? https://www.livinglutheran.org/2022/11/study-guide-for-a-fuller-understanding/
• A collection of Free Illustrations on Bridging and Belonging: Democracy & Belonging Forum launched a collection of free illustrations on bridging and belonging for reuse in social justice campaigns globally with the arts organization Fine Acts. A diverse group of artists from Europe and the US were selected to explore the topics of bridging and belonging and represent them visually in their own styles. Explore Here
• Native American and Indigenous Muslim Stories study. Institute for Social Policy and Understanding NAIMS: Visions and Voices is a portrait and narrative showcase (with photography by the iDigiMedia + Swish Marketing Agency) highlighting individuals from across the country who participated in in-depth, one-on-one interviews with ISPU researchers. Stay tuned: In spring 2023, they’ll publish a thematic report highlighting qualitative findings from the research. You can meet the participants of Visions and Voices, view their portraits, and read and listen to their stories here.
• Five Ideas For Healing Our Divides Through Faith https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/five-ideas-for-healing-our-divides-through-faith/

Reports

• The Great Enrichment Theory: Debunking the Great Replacement Theory. By Muslim Public Affairs Council https://mailchi.mp/mpac/jvg927ert5

Articles/podcasts/videos

• Innocent Until Proven Muslim with Maha Hilal lecture from The Race, Security, and Empire lecture series hosted by the Center for Security, Race, and Rights (CSRR)
• Why is social trust important to your work and life? Religious pluralism helps communities navigate complex social issues by challenging bias & building empathy. For #InFocusTrust, members of Aspen Religion shared what social trust means to them and why it is important to their work and life.
• Interested in learning more about Islamic topics? Check out Yaqeen papers, where you can dive deep and explore research on Islam: https://yqn.io/8bff63.
• Deep Dives with ISPU, Director of Communications Katherine Coplen interviews Dalia Mogahed, ISPU’s Director of Research and the poll’s co-author, on the findings of the American Muslim Poll 2022: A Politics and Pandemic Status Report.

Closing Reflections:

A series of quotes from Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton (1915–1968) was a Trappist monk at Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky and a writer. His writings include such classics as The Seven Storey Mountain, New Seeds of Contemplation, and Zen and the Birds of Appetite. Merton is the author of more than seventy books that include poetry, personal journals, collections of letters, social criticism, and writings on peace, justice, and ecumenism.

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.”

― In a letter to Dorothy Day, quoted in Catholic Voices in a World on Fire (2005) by Stephen Hand, p. 180.

“The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them”

― No Man Is an Island

“To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.”

― Seeds of Contemplation